May 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

While the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem after the Lord's ascension and before the coming of the Holy Spirit, they elected an apostle to take the place of Judas the traitor.

Many Bible students have criticized the disciples for this action. Their use of lots has been frowned upon by Christians who think there are better ways of finding God's will in important matters. Many critics have said that God disapproved of the choice of Matthias, and that God himself chose Paul as the twelfth apostle. It should be noted, however, that Paul never counted himself among "the twelve," although he insisted that God chose him to be an apostle (1 Cor. 15:5-9). And the Scriptures give us no ground whatsoever for condemning the action of the apostles in completing their number.

Their Lord had left them, and the Spirit had not yet come. During these ten days, the disciples did two things: they persisted in prayer, and they expressed their faith by the election of Matthias. They trusted that their Lord would finish his work. He would "reign over the house of Jacob" (Luke 1:33). He would restore his people Israel. Not only did they trust Jesus to finish his work, they also began to understand their role in the work of Christ. Now it became plain why there had to be twelve apostles. God's people had been founded on twelve tribes; they would be rebuilt on twelve apostles appointed by the Messiah.

The apostles are ready and waiting for the One who will rebuild Jerusalem according to his unfailing promise.

In Revelation 21 we have the vision of the finished work of Christ's Spirit: the radiant beauty of Jerusalem. The twelve names of the sons of Israel are on the gates, and the names of the twelve apostles are on the foundations.

With faith and impatience like that of the apostles, we take our assigned places in God's program, always praying: "Lord and Builder, hurry the work!"

REFLECTIONS

What does the connection between the "twelve" of the gospels and the "twelve" of Revelation tell you about the Bible? About God?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.